Honestly, do you really think Mexico and Japan on the plate is a good idea? OK, I'll give David Ansill over at Ladder 15 cred on the Asian-Mexican fusion with his Korean Tacos. In general, though, this is a mash-up destined to elicit a "seemed like a good idea at the time."
The menu is much heavier on the Mexican selections because more people order Mexican dishes.
On my first visit, I tried the Flautas Platter ($9.50), which offers a choice of chorizo, pork, beef or chicken. I opted for the roast pork and, while I thought that the fried tacos were just ever-so-slightly tough, the pork was richly seasoned and moist. Yamasaki serves the traditional black beans as a side, but you can request refried beans. Platters also come with a nice bed of rice tossed with some corn.
The Mole Enchilada with Chorizo ($10.50) was a generous plate of tortillas filled with crispy, flavorful and gently spiced chorizo swathed in a rich, complex mole. A spike of crumbled, fresh Mexican cheese and refreshing crema balanced the mole.
I asked Yamasaki the secret to her mole, but she cheerfully side-stepped the reveal. She does use chocolate and sesame seeds in the mixture, and while most cooks lean either toward sweet or spicy, she tweaks the sauce to be both.
We really liked the Huevos Motulenos Especiales ($9.50), a traditional breakfast dish from Yucatan. It is very similar to Huevos Rancheros with eggs served over tortilla, but here there are also layers of refried beans, ham and cheese. In the especiales the sauce is loaded with a mix of sauteed poblanos, onions and garlic, along with tomatoes and cheese.
While the Empanada with Potatoes and Chipotle ($4) was not quite what I was expecting, we did enjoy the mix of sensations from the crunch of the fried, rosy taco to the creamy potatoes and the fiery spice of the chipotle.
